PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — Heather Kelley, a mother of eight, was last seen Dec. 10, 2022, and was reported missing the next day, about the same time her car was found on fire and with her blood and hair on the inside.
Here’s a timeline of her disappearance and what happened after, based on court records:
Dec. 10, 2022
3:43 p.m.: Surveillance footage shows Heather Kelley drop off her boyfriend at KPEP, a halfway house at 537 Chicago Ave. just outside the Kalamazoo city limits. He later tells investigators that’s the last time he sees her.
5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: The boyfriend is at work as a busboy at The Park Club of Kalamazoo at 219 W. South St.
9:30 p.m.: Kelley leaves her home, telling her kids she’s going to see her boyfriend. It’s the last time they see her.
9:30 p.m.: The electronic tether that the boyfriend is wearing to track him while on federal parole goes dead.
10:30 p.m.: Phone records show Kelley and the boyfriend together at the Park Club, a private dinner club in downtown Kalamazoo.
10:30 p.m.: Both Kelley’s and the boyfriend’s phones are turned off. Data later shows his phone in area of E. Michigan Avenue and Sprinkle Road.
Dec. 11, 2022
2:48 a.m.: The boyfriend returns to KPEP. A roommate sees deep scratches on his chest and back.
3:53 a.m.: A Kalamazoo deputy finds Kelley’s 2015 Toyota Venza parked along E. Michigan Avenue and tags it as abandoned. She had not yet been reported missing.
5:57 a.m.: The boyfriend’s tether turns back on.
6:55 a.m. The boyfriend shows up for work at his other job at Mann Hummel, 6400 South Sprinkle.
6:54 p.m.: Kelley’s cousin finds Kelley’s abandoned car along E. Michigan, north of Sprinkle Road. She watches a red pickup speed away. Minutes later, the car was on fire. Investigators find blood stains and human hair inside it.
6:55 p.m.: Heather Kelley’s mother reports her missing.
11 p.m.: About this time, the boyfriend goes AWOL from KPEP. His tether is found nearby. He’s listed in federal records as an escapee.
Dec. 14, 2022
Authorities arrest the boyfriend. He is taken to the Newaygo County Jail, which houses federal prisoners.
Dec. 30, 2022
The boyfriend writes to a federal judge, asking for an early release, claiming he went AWOL from KPEP because one of Kelley’s brother had threatened to kill him. The brother denies it. The judge refused to release him.
